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Call number: LD2668 .T4 1984 H36 / Master of Arts

Master of Arts / Department of History / Sue Zschoche / This thesis explores the development of Derby, Kansas, from the arrival of its first settlers in 1869 through the early 1970s. During its first seventy-five years, Derby never grew beyond its origins as a tiny trade center for local farmers, its economic growth constantly stymied and overshadowed by the often explosive growth of Wichita, twelve miles to the north. Derby might have met the fate of so many other Kansas farming communities that did not survive developments in industrialized agricultural and transportation in post-World War II America. With the beginning of the Cold War, however, the federal government began pouring money into the Midwest and West, building up existing, and constructing new, military installations. In addition, federal spending spurred massive new defense industries, creating growth around the cites of what some historians have called “Gunbelt America.” Wichita was one such city. Derby’s proximity to Wichita finally worked to its advantage, and the small town experienced its own boom as it became a residential community inhabited by affluent commuters to the job opportunities nearby. In addition, Derby’s racial homogeneity, its relative affluence, and the deliberate attempts of its boosters to portray it as a “family friendly,” that is, as a white, middle-class, community, further spurred its growth as Wichita went through the turmoil of school desegregation in the 1960s and early 1970s. Derby, Kansas, illustrates a distinct category in the development of the new Gunbelt West, a community that flourished both because of its proximity to a larger city as well as its distance from the perceived turmoil of that urban center.

Thesis (D. Litt. et Phil. (Biblical Studies)) / The Fertile Crescent, due to its geographical characteristics, has always been an area troubled with conflict and warfare. The men who participated in these wars, from ca 2000 BCE to 1000 BCE operated from an ethos which was governed by a system of rules, all which were conceived to be the creation of divine will, to which kings and their warriors (keymen) were subject. The cuneiform texts from Mari, Ugarit, Ebla, Amarna and others, have not only thrown light on the political, social, religious and military aspects of those turbulent times, but have also given insight into the formation of armies as well as the commanders who led those armies and the royal officials who governed cities and provinces, all appointed by the monarch in order to effect the smooth running of his kingdom. They also shed light on the formation of coalitions and alliances in order to promote peace, arrange marriages to the daughters of other ruling powers and to promote trade relations. These were no easy tasks, considering the diversity of peoples, the birth and fall of kingdoms and empires, and the ever shifting and changes of loyalties of greedy kings and their men, to attain power and conquest for themselves.. However, these texts also give glimpses of the human side of the king and the close relationships between himself and his men of authority, whilst the women of the court also played their role in some areas of the social field. The responses, of these people towards matters and events, whether they were confrontations, marriage alliances, trade ventures or hunting expeditions, occurred within an ever changing world yet, it was also a world with an ethos of ancient traditions, which did not disappear but instead remained, albeit in adapted or altered form, to be a part of their contextual reality. / Biblical Studies

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What are the origins of tactical innovation in large, bureaucratic, military systems? This study will provide a detailed analysis of how the German Army in World War One took advantage of innovative tactical methods developed by their junior and non-commissioned officers in the field. While many historians often look at the results of WWI from the perspective of the General officers and politicians (i.e., top-down), they often overlook the important roles played by creative junior officers in revolutionizing the manner in which the German Army fought. These innovations, when supported by senior leadership, led to massive operational and strategic gains for the German Army late in World War One. I will explore how the German Army successfully applied these tactical innovations at the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo, a.k.a. The Battle of Caporetto in 1917. The result was a crushing Italian defeat. This success encouraged the German leadership to attempt similar offensives in 1918 on the Western Front in France. Initially successful, the offensives later stalled. However, the lessons of these attacks formed the basis for what would become universally known as the Blitzkrieg, or â lighting-warâ tactics. These lessons continue to effect how modern militaries employ combined arms in maneuver warfare today. This case study will highlight the importance of â bottom-upâ tactical innovation within todayâ s U.S. military.

Applying selected concepts of organizational theory to the Mayaguez incident of 1975 leads to a more comprehensive understanding of events and more accurate lessons learned. Application of organizational theory to the Mayaguez incident demonstrates the decision processes at the executive level left the military operation vulnerable to failure. Henry Mintzberg's structural contingency model and Lee Bowman and Terrence Deal's frames model are used and are applied to executive-level decisions. The rationale behind focusing on the executive level is twofold: first, it is where final critical decisions are made and second, military operations cannot take place without an executive-level authorization. The Mayaguez crisis was rife with potential pitfalls and, though President Ford was equipped with an organization of intelligent, competent personnel, the result was unnecessary loss of life. Publicly, the operation was a success and President Ford the savior of the Mayaguez crew. To the military, the operation was an embarrassment because of failures in the organizational structure and decision making. Application of organizational theory provides an avenue for analysis of the military operation within the Mayaguez rescue.

Master of Arts / Department of History / Charles Sanders / This thesis examines the relationships of Ulysses S. Grant and four of his subordinate generals. Ultimately, it is a command study of General Grant that analyzes how he managed his subordinates. The four individuals that this thesis examines are John Alexander McClernand, John Alexander Logan, James Birdseye McPherson, and Gouverneur Kemble Warren. These individuals provide an excellent balance between professional generals from West Point and volunteer generals with political backgrounds. The survey also balances the degrees of success experience by the four subordinates. The thesis traces each subordinate general during the Civil War, their relationship with Grant, and evaluates Grant’s management of each individual. Finally, the thesis identifies certain characteristics that Grant sought in a subordinate general. Taken as a whole, the thesis provides several lessons on the politics of the Union Army’s command structure during the Civil War, thoroughly covers the experiences of each individual subordinate while serving under Grant, and offers valuable insight on the overall generalship of Ulysses S. Grant. The thesis concludes that Grant was an effective manager of his subordinate generals and that his management also transcended his personal preference of West Point graduates. The thesis also identifies proper subordination, aggressive command style, the ability to effectively and efficiently carry out his orders, and trustworthiness as the qualities that Grant sought in his subordinates.

This paper analyzes the assassination of Lord Moyne, the British Resident Minister of the Middle East, in 1944 by the extremist Jewish group Lehi and the effect the incident has carried throughout the last sixty eight years in both Britain and Israel. The weight of the memory of the assassination as well as how terrorism is defined becomes poignant with the 1975 peace agreement between Egypt and Israel following the Yom Kippur War. With an eye to how Israel has continued to make the assassination part of its national identity and Britain’s reaction in 2012 with the death of Yitzhak Shamir. Through the lens of this assassination the use of memory and the definition of terrorism have continued to be reinterpreted by both the governments of Britain and Israel.

Master of Arts / Department of History / Andrew Orr / Women have been in integral part of history that has been decidedly left out of the picture until the last few decades. As history has been re-casted to include the contributions of women, this work examines the struggles endured by the American women who joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps and/or the Women’s Army Corps during World War II. Using a limited investigation into the newspaper coverage in the New York area and personal comments WAAC/WAC veterans, this report argues that early press coverage of women soldiers belittled and humiliated them, thus discouraging women from enlisting. Over time, coverage became more positive as journalists gradually accepted the importance of women’s contributions to the military. By 1943, coverage was increasingly positive and articles about WACs received more prominent placement in newspapers. This shift occurred at the same time the number of women enlisting grew, suggestion the two are related. It was through the changes in the expected traditional proper place of women to a more realistic acknowledgment of the legitimacy of women’s work in the military that helped lay the platform to more permanent positive changes for women in the workplace, society, and at home.